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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Double Whammy Win For Williams in Malaysia

Ian Williams has added the Monsoon Cup to his third ISAF Match Racing World Champion crown after the British sailor defeated Johnie Berntsson 3-1 in the final of the World Match Racing Tour’s finale event in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

Photo: SubZero Images/Monsoon Cup

“This really tops off a terrific season We couldn’t let our emotions run too high yesterday because we were so focused on winning today. We came here to win and to take the World Championship yesterday and then this today, it’s just superb," Williams said.

“The team has done so well, we are a new team who have come together and just got stronger and stronger all year. We won all three regattas on five man boats so I think that just shows the strength of the team.”

In the first match race Williams trapped Berntsson against the Race Committee boat, then left him for dead up to the first mark. Berntsson had no other choice than to follow in his wake and Williams scored to make it 1-0.

The next match was almost an exact replica of the first. Williams got a clean start and again forced Berntsson to follow him up the right hand side of the course. Williams extended his lead around the three lap course to make it 2-0.

In the third a there was a chaotic re-start as both boats desperately fought for the right. Berntsson pushed Williams to the line and after both boats tacked to port, Williams, as the giveway windward boat, had to keep clear but pushed Berntsson into the Race Committee boat. A red flag was added to his penalty as the umpires ruled that Williams had gained a controlling position. After Williams took his immediate penalty, Berntsson grabbed the lead and held it to the finish.

As Berntsson and Williams approached the start line of the next match, the Swede luffed but went too far and fell onto a port tack. As the giveway boat, he needed to keep clear of Williams but instead he smacked into him and copped a penalty. Berntsson then tried to cross Williams’ bow to get to the right but Williams blocked him with an aggressive luff. That forced him back out to the left leaving Williams with the prized right again. Berntsson couldn’t pull it back with Williams extending his lead throughout to win his second Monsoon Cup.